A Neurosurgeon's Notebook

A unique text, A Neurosurgeon's Notebook describes an expert neurosurgeon's way of avoiding trouble in the clinic and the operating theatre. Mr Adams, an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and teacher, has trained numerous neurosurgical fellows from around the world including the USA, Japan, Australia, Europe and South Africa. This text contains a distillation of his pearls of wisdom, taken from his own notebook, and gleaned from over 30 years' neurosurgical practice. A Neurosurgeon's Notebook is not intended as a comprehensive textbook of neurosurgery but rather covers those areas which cause difficulty for the trainee and qualified surgeon alike. There are unique chapters on: * neuroanatomy (with two sheets of origami to aid learning)* handy hints on history taking and neurological examination* fundamental surgical principles* talking with patients* unusual pathologies to watch out for, and* operative technical tips The text emphasizes the art and philosophy of neurosurgery and surgery in general. The chapter on history taking and examination is a wonderful read, and this chapter alone should persuade all medical and surgical trainees (not just neurosurgeons) to buy this book. Additionally, the section on the management of pain is lucid and full of essential knowledge for every surgeon and physician. Neurologists and surgeons who operate close to the brain (ENT and maxillofacial surgeons) as well as neurosurgeons will find the fount of wisdom in this book invaluable in the management of their own patients.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Preface Acknowledgements 1 Rules for a happy and trouble-free neurosurgical life! 2 Anatomy 3 Tips on taking a history and examining patients 4 Making a diagnosis or an organized guess 5 A few fundamental general surgical principles 6 Talking with patients 7 When to operate, when not to operate and when to stop 8 Some puzzling pathologies 9 Operative hints and suggestions Au revoir Further reading Index

Review :
"It is exceedingly rare to be able to say that a book on neurosurgery can be read with pleasure let alone that it can be read at a single sitting. This can be said of this book without the slightest exaggeration. It is a real cracker...There is no neurosurgeon whether he is at the beginning or at the end of his career who will not read this book without pleasure. There is so much in it that is both enjoyable and instructive." British Journal of Neurosurgery "Chris Adams' A Neurosurgeon's Notebook is a delight to read. The result is an invaluable source of practical tips for some difficult clinical problems in neurosurgery. I recommend this book to all those who are interested in neurosurgery, and to colleagues who want to avoid getting into trouble; remember to KISS." The Lancet "Indeed scepticism is the reaction readers may experience on picking up the book, for it is not a textbook in the conventional sense but a loosely associated collection of hints, anecdotes, observations and teaching points accumulated and analysed over a long career in neurosurgery. But initial doubts are rapidly dispelled as the author endeavours to help younger neurosurgeons with hard-learned lessons...a valuable read for the junior neurosurgeon and I strongly recommend my colleagues to spend a few hours digesting the contents; I guarantee they will find something of benefit to their education and practice." Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine ..".the message of this book is applicable to anyone in any surgical discipline or indeed in medicine as much of the material relates to practical and common sense discussion of many aspects of the doctor-patient relationship." British Journal of Plastic Surgery "Neurosurgeon's Notebook is a splendid production and ideal for medical students and residents." Sir Peter J Morris, Nuffield Professor and Chairman, University of Oxford, UK "This excellent little book, a product of a thoughtful neurosurgeon's professional lifetime on the front lines of practice in Britain, is a valuable manual, which will benefit neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, neurologists, and anyone interested in the subtleties and pitfalls of clinical practice in the broad area of neurosurgery." Journal of the American Medical Association "30 years experience of one eminent neurosurgeon, and the diligence to keep an exhausstive record of tips, hints and disasters has culminated in a most readable factual notebook on neurosurgery." ..".I would recommend this book ... ispacked full of a healthy scepticism encouraging the reader to always adhere to the KISS principle." Manual Therapy - 2000